Sports ministers briefed over ACC report

Some state sport and territory ministers say a meeting with the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) has convinced them the role of drugs and organised crime in sport is worse than they feared.

The ministers were briefed by the ACC in Melbourne last night after they had complained about the lack of information released about the investigation.

They were also addressed by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority and staff from both the AFL and NRL.

Victorian Sports Minister Hugh Delahunty has welcomed the briefings, but says the ministers were not given specific information about players and clubs implicated in the ACC report.

"I think what we've heard tonight, it really brings home to me there are some serious problems out there," he said.

"It's really about the health and well-being of the athletes, it's about the integrity of sport and more importantly it's about the infiltration of organised crime."

He says he is satisfied with the amount of information he and his counterparts were given.

"We've been given general information about clubs and codes and that type of thing," he said.

"We haven't got down to individual names and I think that's appropriate. I think we've been given good general information."

He says governments are committed to working with clubs and codes to stamp out the use of prohibited drugs and match-fixing.

"Particularly it has been identified, it's in the AFL and the NRL that the major concerns are and they are two big sports in our state," he said.

"Sport is a big driver of our communities, we are the sporting capital of Australia, and it's important we address the issues we've been informed of."

'Worse than I thought'

New South Wales Sports Minister Graham Annesley says he is disturbed by what the ACC told him.

"It's probably worse than I thought, I think that's probably a fair assessment," he said.

"There's been a lot of evidence gathered but they are still in the process of gathering further evidence and it may not be until the weeks and months ahead that some of these things come to a head.

"I think there's still a level of frustration though about that everyone shares about why can't we go further with this, why can't we try and clear it up very quickly and remove the suspicion over everybody?

"But I think that there's a greater appreciation for some of the reasons why that may not be possible immediately."

Mr Annesley says the state governments agreed to unite over the issue.

"We've agreed that we are going to continue to cooperate on a national basis because this can't be attacked piecemeal, state by state," he said.

"There does need to be national uniformity.

"We are going to work with the sporting codes and if we need to introduce laws to further strengthen those that already exist to deal with doping offences, both for performance-enhancing drugs, illicit drugs and to guard against the threat of match-fixing, then we need to do that in cooperation with the Federal Government and with the state and territory governments."